ECT may have a role in people who have comorbid depression and anxiety The concern of some psychiatrists is that while ECT may help with depressive symptoms, it could worsen anxiety symptoms, including obsessional thoughts or panic attacks

ECT does not change a person’s personality, nor is it designed to treat those with just primary “personality disorders” ECT can cause transient short-term memory — or new learning — impairment during a course of ECT, which fully reverses usually within one to four weeks after an acute course is stopped

The ability to form new memories is also impaired after a course of ECT treatments but this ability usually makes a full recovery in the weeks and months following the last treatmentWhat are the side-effects of ECT?

1. Headaches
2. Nausea
3. Muscle aches and soreness
4. Disorientation and confusion

What are the risks and side-effects of ECT?

• loss of memory about the events immediately before and after ECT
• heart rhythm disturbances
• low blood pressure
• headaches
• nausea
• sore muscles, aching jaw
• confusion

We know that depressed patients often begin to respond after the first treatment and progress to wellness with 6 to 12 treatments There is considerable variability in the trajectories, but most commonly there is progressive symptomatic improvement within the first week and complete remission within 3 to 4 weeks

a past history of moderate or severe depression or initial presentation of subthreshold depressive symptoms that have been present for a long period (typically at least 2 years) or subthreshold depressive symptoms or mild depression that persist(s) after other interventions

During ECT, all patients increased their caloric intake (280 +/- 180 to +/- 60 kcal/day, mean +/- SEM) to exceed their basal energy expenditure; major improvements in their depressive symptoms and weight gain were seen in five of the six patients

Electroconvulsive therapy is effective in the acute treatment of major depressive disorder patients associated with anxiety symptoms Anxiety symptoms improved less than depression symptoms during acute electroconvulsive therapy

People who have had ECT before and responded well are good candidates for ECT Other first-line indications for the procedure include people who are catatonic or suffering from a form of depression known as psychotic depression (depression associated with delusions and hallucinations)

What is the Success Rate of Electroconvulsive Therapy? ECT is an effective medical treatment option, helping as many as 80-85 percent of patients who receive it

In a cohort of 148 patients with suicidal ideation who had received ECT, the authors found rapid and robust reductions on item 3 of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), which rates suicidal thoughts and acts

These conditions are not approached during ECT Other findings indicate that the passage of electricity, thermal effects, and the transient disruption of the blood-brain barrier during ECS do not result in structural brain damage Conclusions: There is no credible evidence that ECT causes structural brain damage

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical treatment most commonly used in patients with severe major depression or bipolar disorder that has not responded to other treatments ECT involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia

If electroconvulsive therapy doesn’t work, the next step could be deep brain stimulation (DBS) — a depression treatment that is currently considered experimental

The most persistent adverse effect is retrograde amnesia Shortly after ECT, most patients have gaps in their memory for events that occurred close in time to the course of ECT, but the amnesia may extend back several months or years Retrograde amnesia usually improves during the first few months after ECT

Side effects of ECT can include slight memory loss, adverse reactions to anesthesia, hyper- and hypotension, and ongoing heart issues throughout life Though these side effects are rare and can often be prevented through proper pre-diagnosis, they do add to the controversy of ECT therapy

ECT may be slightly more effective than transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but patients prefer TMS and would be more likely to opt for it if covered by their medical insurance provider

Some of the studies have shown promising but not conclusive evidence for the efficacy of TMS in depression But TMS has not been shown to be effective in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, posttraumatic disorder, or schizophrenia The patient sample size has been a cause of concern in most studies

ECT treatments cost $300 to $/b> per treatment, with an initial course requiring five to 15 treatments followed by 10 to 20 maintenance treatments per year, the researchers noted That means the annual cost can be more than $/b>, compared with a cost of several hundred dollars for many antidepressant medications

As magnetic stimulation can go through the skull without intentionally causing a seizure, TMS has none of the side effects associated with ECTTable of comparison

ECT costs are covered by most health insurance plans, Medicaid, and Medicare19 มีค 2555

ECT, given to depressed patients under anesthesia and after taking a muscle relaxer, sends electrical pulses to the brain through electrodes applied to the head The electrical stimulation triggers a seizure19 มิย 2561

Shock Therapy: Still Here, Still Used But electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is still being used — more in Europe than the United States — and it may be the most effective short-term treatment for some patients with depressive symptoms, a newly published review in the journal The Lancet suggests6 มีค 2546

But for a group of the most severely depressed patients, ECT has remained one of the last options on the table when other therapies have failed Annually in the UK around patients, of which John is one, still undergo ECT

It is important to realize that a ‘course ‘ of ECT entails a series of treatments given 2-3 times per week until maximal improvement has occurred Most patients require 6 to 12 total treatments

There are 2 types of ECT Bilateral ECT This is when the current is passed through both sides of your head Unilateral ECT